Borderline
by shialuvr222
Summary: In the day, he saw what she should be here to see... At night, he dreams of what could have been. Not willing to let her go, but not able to live in the past, Horatio realizes how dangerous it can be to walk the borderline.
1. Prologue

A/N: Sorry, folks. I couldn't resist. To be continued.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: Miami and all characters belong to CBS. Please don't sue me. I don't have any money.

Why did she have to die?  
>He sighed. He had asked himself that question so many times, but he never made sense of it. It wasn't right, he knew that. But he couldn't change it now.<br>Everyone make mistakes. He knew they did the best they could. But why did it have to be that day?  
>The only solution he could think of was that, well, there wasn't one. There was no rhyme or reason to what happened any day of the week; nothing was planned, therefore nothing was avoidable. Accidents happen, murderers kill, and all anyone has is that moment.<br>Most people forget. Most people don't take advantage of what they have until its too late, and nothing can be done for them.  
>He looked out at the water. It was beautiful here, especially now, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the last rays of light splaying colors across the sky. Someone laughed. The air was clear, and he breathed it in slowly. It was times like these that he missed her the most.<br>_You would have loved this, Marisol._  
>He exhaled and blinked back the tears that wouldn't come. He had never let himself cry. She wouldn't have wanted that.<br>Shaking his head at his own foolishness - he tried not to think about what Memmo had done - he stood, making his way back inside, busying himself with mindless paperwork. Anything to distract him. Anything to ease the pain that had never gone away.

A/N: I plan on this being several chapter. I'd also like to write one about the Season Nine finale. Tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: So hey. I'm back. :) This is the first official chapter, so tell me what you think. In case it's confusing (I hope not - tell me when you review ;) ) the first part of the chapter - which, I know, is very short - is his dream. I hope he isn't OOC, but this is his wife we're talking about. He's going to be a little sappy. And trust me, I'm not the biggest fan of sappy. This chapter is basically to start us off, I still have to find my groove in this story. And the dialogue, well, that was just kind of a filler. Sorry about that.

He opened his eyes to the golden sunlight of Miami and the sweet smell of the woman in his arms. She was still asleep. God, she was beautiful.  
>Glancing over at the clock, he decided to let her sleep a little longer. He settled next to her and began to twist his wedding band around his finger absentmindedly. It was Saturday, so there was no rush to get up. In the relaxed haze of the morning, he welcomed the warmth and smoothness of her skin.<br>It was times like these that it seemed impossible that there was evil in the world. He had plenty of examples of it on a daily basis, but it was nice to believe something else for a little while.  
>He also had to marvel at how lucky he was. Marisol was an amazing woman. Beautiful, resourceful and smart, she was lighthearted and vibrant; he was serious and focused, her polar opposite. He was also considerably older than her, with less free time to spend with her than most. He often wondered, then, why she chose him.<br>Smiling, he remembered what she had said when he asked.  
><em>"There may have been more eligible men out there,"<em> she had said with a laugh, _"but I wasn't in love with any of them."_  
>She was the first person to see him for who he was underneath. She made him smile more than anyone else ever had before. She really understood him.<br>Needless to say, he loved her. More than anything.  
>Things felt so perfect now, he couldn't help but wonder how long it would last.<br>Marisol began to stir beside him. As she opened her eyes, he determined not to worry about what would happen. He would enjoy what he had now.  
>"Morning."<br>"Good morning."  
>"Sleep well?"<br>"I think so." She stretched. "What time is it?"  
>"9:30."<br>"Really? We don't normally sleep that late."  
>"Well, we don't have anything planned. I thought you might like a little extra time."<br>She smiled softly. "That was very sweet."  
>"So, what would you like to do today?"<br>Her eyes sparkled. "Let's go to the Keys. It could be fun."  
>He couldn't help but smile back. She was so full of life.<br>_Bzzzzzzzz_  
>That was all it took for her to melt away.<p>

*CSI: Miami*

_Bzzzzzzzz_  
>He groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The clock read 4:30. The space beside him was cold and empty, as it had been for six years.<br>_Bzzzzzzzz_  
>His phone vibrated on the nightstand. He sighed. Once again, Marisol was gone before he knew what was happening. Couldn't the criminals give him one night's rest?<br>He grimaced and answered the phone.  
>"Horatio Caine."<p>

A/N: Not much of a cliffhanger, I know. Don't worry. They will come. *grins evilly*


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: So, yeah. A little longer this time. I think I've finally figured out where I'm going with this. I mean, I kind of knew before, but I think I've kind of found my groove in this story. Don't laugh at me. Yes, I said groove. And by the way, I hope you don't mind Kyle, because here he is :) I love Kyle. lol Anyway, enjoy!

Blue and red flashed, contrasting with the pre-dawn light, illuminating the scene before him. The sirens had been turned off. He lifted the yellow tape marked CRIME SCENE - DO NOT CROSS and approached the body. Off came the sunglasses.

The woman lay there, bloodied and bruised, throat slashed. There were several stab wounds across her torso and neck, and her eyes were wide in horror. One hand was stretched out to grasp something no one else could see, while the other hung into the water of the pool beside her.

"Morning, H."

"Frank."

"Victim is a Catherine Beck, 34, from Coral Gables. 11th grade teacher. This is her ex-husband Robert's property, he and their two kids live here."

"Where are they now?"

"According to the neighbors, they left last night in a hurry. He told them it was a family emergency."

"Find him."

"I'll get on it." Frank left for the police cars behind them.

As Calleigh arrived and began to process the scene, Horatio only half-listened to what she said. His thoughts had turned to his dream. It had been so vivid. Then again, they all were.

Several things varied when he dreamed of her: location, time, activity. Sometimes they were memories, sometimes not. Two things were always the same, though; they were always together. And they were always happy.

He tried to shake off the familiar ache deep in his chest and focus on the case. Work always helped occupy his mind.

"That's a lot of blood," Eric commented, making his way to the body and kneeling next to Calleigh.

"Not just blood," she responded.

"What else have we got?"

"Saliva." She began to swab the substance.

"Is it hers?"

"I don't think so. Wrong angle."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "You think someone spat on her?"

"We'll know soon enough."

"Horatio."

He turned at the sound of his name. Frank was walking over.

"Found Robert Beck."

"That was fast."

"Well, he had just been pulled over for speeding when we sent out the BOLO. He was on his way to Jacksonville."

"Bring him in."

"He's on his way. It'll be a couple of hours, though."

Horatio glanced at his watch. "Speaking of time," he said, "I need to go. Eric, can you take over here? Kyle has a three week leave, and I'm picking him up at the airport in half an hour."

"Yeah, go ahead."

"I'll be back to question Robert Beck."

*CSI: Miami*

As he left the gate, Kyle scanned the crowd. He was excited to see his dad; he'd been gone seven months now. They'd only been able to talk twice, and he missed him.

There. A few feet away from the Information desk. Sunglasses in hand, there was a smile on his face. Kyle headed over immediately.

"Dad!"

They exchanged a quick hug. He could sense Horatio's relief to have him home.

"How are you?"

He thought about the question.

"Good," he finally replied. "How about you?"

"Better, now that you're back. How was Afghanistan?"

"Worse than I thought." After receiving a concerned look, he hastened to assure him, "I'm okay, Dad, really. I'm alright."

It was good to be back home. The ride from the airport was, for the most part, comfortably quiet. When they got to Kyle's apartment, Horatio looked apologetic.

"I have to go. There's a case, and I need to interrogate a suspect. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Dad. I'm gonna work on this jetlag. Are you still free tonight?"

"I wouldn't miss it."

"Cool."

"Kyle... You do know my door is always open, if you don't want to stay here..."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks." He hesitated.

"...Are you okay? You seem a little... sad, I guess."

"I'm just a little tired. I appreciate it, though."

But as he left, Kyle had to wonder if something else was bothering him. He decided to keep an eye out.

A/N: So, what did you think? I might rewrite the Kyle/Horatio part later. Let me know! And by the way, I know, you don't need sunglasses in pre-dawn light, but (A) It's Horatio, (B) he wears them inside buildings, so why not in the early morning? and (C) he has an image to uphold. I mean, they're the Sunglasses of Justice. Where he goes, they go. XD Please review!


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